Benchmade 950 Rift Review

Ah, the Benchmade 950 Rift. What a sweet piece of steel. The Rift originally came out in 2008 as part of Benchmade’s “black class” which are designed to be military and police grade blades built for extreme duty. Designed by famed knifemaker Warren Osborne, the 950 Rift certainly is extreme and it took the knife world by storm gaining critical acclaim by reviewers and enthusiasts alike.

Today the 950 Rift is still available with it’s very distinct reverse tanto blade and is available in a variety of configurations; including the ultra cool black and gray G10 handled version shown here. I would say that this knife is appealing as a large EDC knife, a small emergency defense knife, or even a collectors item. Lets take a closer look at this unique and exciting knife.

General Dimensions and Blade Characteristics

The Osborne 950 Rift is a fairly big folding EDC knife with a 3.7″ blade, a total length of 8.27″ and a weight of 4.8 ounces. The weight is perhaps one of my biggest criticisms, but really that is me grasping for straws. If you don’t like heavier knives then this won’t be the folder for you, but many, myself included, enjoy carrying a larger knife and the weight won’t be an issue. For a lighter Benchmade with about the same length, consider the Benchmade Griptilian.

As I mentioned before, the blade shape is classified as a “reverse tanto” which gives the knife excellent tip strength and the large sweeping belly of a drop point blade. I love the way this blade looks and it’s a super practical design for tactical and utility work. The blade is given a nice flat grind making it a very good slicer.

You have the option of getting the blade in a satin, blasted, or coated finish (blasted shown here). I really like the look of the coated version, Benchmade’s coating is very tough and I think the black blade with black hardware is a handsome combo.

The blade material is 154CM, a stainless steel that Benchmade uses in a lot of their knives. Benchmade knows how to heat treat 154CM and I think it was an excellent choice for the Rift. 154CM is a very durable steel that holds an edge very well and is easy to sharpen. In my experience corrosion resistance is very good but 154CM will rust if left in a damp environment so it’s important to keep the blade clean and to cover it with oil if you live in a humid area (I have no problems in South and Central FL).

Handle Ergonomics and Pocket Clip

The handle of the 950 is arguably cooler than the blade itself, which is a pretty tough feat considering. The handle scales are made of sculpted G10. My G10 came in layered black and dark gray, but you can also get black G10. The Rift has full stainless steel liners that, like the rest of the hardware, has been blackened. I wish Benchmade skeletonized these scales as I think they could really drop some weight off this knife. But all in all, the handle construction is very solid and I love the look of the scales.

The ergonomics on the Rift are pretty good. It’s a large and comfortable handle and I really like the way the butt end has been formed – it creates a good “catch” for your pinky and really lets you get some leverage on the blade. There isn’t a ton of jimping, which will turn off some. For me, I don’t mind the absence of jimping and actually prefer that in a work knife. I know some people say that there are some rough edges that they needed to sand down on the handle. If you plan on using the knife for heavy carving, then you may very well want a thicker knife.

The clip of the 950 Rift is Benchmade’s classic “arrow” clip and is among my favorite pocket clip designs. I like the blackened clip, it really helps with concealing the knife in your pocket. The clip will wear, but it wears gracefully and in my opinion, is one of those clips that gets cooler with use. Retention is great and the clip is mounted so that it rides low in the pocket. Benchmade tapped the handles so you have the option of tip up ambidextrous carry.

Deployment and Lock

Deployment on the Rift is very nice. As you would expect on any Benchmade knife, the Rift uses high quality, low friction, phosphor bronze bushings. The bushings are combined with large ambidextrous thumb studs to deploy the Rift’s blade quickly and easily. I really like the thumb studs, there are nicely milled out, have a unique design and have been either anodized or given a DLC coating – it’s been very durable and hasn’t rubbed off at all after a LOT of opening.

As you can see in the pictures, the Rift uses Benchmade’s Axis Lock. For those unfamiliar with the Axis Lock, is is a very intelligently designed lock that Benchmade uses on a lot of their knives. It is very strong and very easy to use ambidextrously. I love the axis lock, it’s among my favorites because it is so smooth reliable and easy to use. One hand opening and closing with this knife is a breeze.

Benchmade 950 Rift Review – Final Thoughts

Well, what is there to say? The combination of great blade design, 154CM steel, G10 handle, and reliable Axis lock mean there is a lot going for this knife. If you are in the market for a larger EDC knife or a folding tactical knife, the 950 Rift has a lot to offer. Build quality is very sturdy, the knife cuts well, it’s comfortable in hand, and 154CM steel is very serviceable. I also like the fact that the Rift is made in the USA.

As far as potential negatives are concerned, my main gripe is the weight of the knife. This is a bigger offering from Benchmade, and you definitely feel that in hand and in pocket. This may not be an issue for some, but for folks that appreciate a lightweight EDC knife, I might recommend the Benchmade 940 or

I recommend purchasing the Benchmade Rift from Amazon orBladeHQ. Please consider that purchasing anything through any of the links on this website helps support BladeReviews.com, and keeps the site going. As always, any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

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About Dan Jackson

Dan is the creator of BladeReviews.com. He founded the site in 2010, and for the first 5 years Dan wrote all of the reviews and recorded all of the video reviews. He grew up using pocket knives, and the decision to start the website stemmed from his fascination of all things sharp combined with a deep passion for writing. He has personally reviewed almost 300 knives of all shapes, sizes, and price points. He is recognized as an authority on daily carry knives and has consulted with knife companies on product design.

Great site. Just found you today and have enjoyed watching your reviews of a few of the knives that I am currently considering for my next purchase. I have been looking at the Benchmade knives and am leaning towards something with a little larger handle than the Spyderco Native that I am currently carrying (XL hands) and so was really interested to watch our reviews of both the BM Griptillian and the BM Rift. Price aside for the moment, would you select one over the other based on your experience with them?
Thanks again for the great resource.

First of all, welcome to the site! I am so happy to hear you have been enjoying yourself. To get to your question, well, that is a tough question. The way I see it the Rift is a larger and much heavier knife. Since you are a big guy you may like that. But if you are looking for a good size knife that is lightweight the Griptilian is a very nice knife. It’s nothing fancy, but it has stood the test of time for me. If we are talking regular EDC I would tend to prefer the Griptilian because I find it more practical. For harder use / cool factor then I’d go with the Rift.

So my question for you is, do you prefer a more solid heavy knife or do you like something that is lightweight? Is this something to be carried daily in an urban / suburban work environment or is it going to be used on the weekends or for a more physical / outdoor job?

You have a grate web site!
Now to the questions,
1. Have you seen people drill out the inner handle to drop weight?
2. I cant decide between the bare blade or black, This knife (if bought) would be a more of going out knife, maybe a EDC later down the road. How does the black blade hold up agents use and the hands of time ?

1. No. I think part of the problem you may run into is I believe that the liners are hardened. They will be really tough to drill through without the proper tools.

2. Personally if I buy a knife with any kind of coating on it, I expect that the coating will wear. I know Benchmade’s black coating is “pretty good” but I do expect it to wear over time. Personally, I have never owned a coated Benchmade so this is all second hand information.

Hi Dan,
I’m really passionate about the Rift and don’t understand the lack of attention and even negative comments. I feel that I have to defend it. It’s one of my favorite knives.
The main complaints I read are lack of any jimping, non milled liners, the handle, and blade steel. Sounds like a lot but mainly nonsense.
I agree, it could use some good jimping on the thumb ramp area. However, the more I know about knives, the more I realize jimping is mostly overrated. A lot of it just gives a false sense of security. On a properly designed knife, jimping isn’t needed. The Kershaw Injection 3.5 is another knife without any jimping and it’s not needed. The Rift has solid liners. Well, the knife weighs under 5ozs and carries incredibly well. The solid liners do make the knife sturdier. Some complain about the G10 being too rough. Please, not in my case. Others don’t like the pinky catch at the end of the handle. For my large hands, it works great. It’s comfortable and secure in all grips. Having a secure place for your pinky and ring fingers is very important when making cuts (especially thrust/pushing type). The standard 950 Rift comes with 154CM. Yeah, for the price etc., S30V would be nice but 154CM is still a decent steel. I’ve also found it very easy to sharpen. So, with that being said, I would try and handle one before buying.
For me, the 950 Rift is an excellent knife. It’s by far the smoothest Axis lock I’ve ever handled. I have two Rifts. Both have perfectly centered blades and lock up tight. It has a great blade to handle ratio. The 3.7″ blade just disappears in my pocket. Not exactly like a Dragonfly but you get the idea. The reverse tanto blade is beautiful and slices really, really well. The G10 handles not only work well but are very attractive. The Rift just oozes quality.
This is one tough knife. A knife magazine put the 950 Rift and some Cold Steel knives through torturous testing. The 950 came out unscathed. I wish more people would look into the 950 Rift. Thanks for reading and letting me comment Dan.
Tom

As always, thanks for stopping by and taking the time out to leave a detailed comment. Comments like this help improve the website, as it gives the reader a number of perspectives.

As for the Rift – I think it’s a great work knife. It’s not something I would regularly EDC at this point in my “knife collecting career”, because it’s large and pretty heavy. But if you can get past that then I agree that it’s just a workhorse of a blade and has a lot going for it.

I had my heart set on the rift. But once i got it in my hands the scales left me wanting more. To me it was just to slick. Its a beautiful knife but I ended up going with the Contego and absolutely love it!! The scales are very aggressively textured. When grab it you know its not going anywhere. The contego is a large knife but im 6’4″ and wear a XXL glove so its size doesnt bother me a bit. Thank you for your reviews. I often check them out to get insight on knives that interest me.

Just got a coated half serrated rift Osborne for Father’s Day . I own a benchmade resistor and bedlum, a syderco manix and a cold steel recon . By far the osborne is my favorite . Beauty and the beast in one lightweight package. Hard to beat. Way to go Benchmade.